In the first step of a planned three-part transparency initiative, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has rolled out FDA Basics, a tidy little Web portal aimed at helping the public understand exactly what the agency does. And that, according to the page’s centerpiece, is regulate tongue depressors. The goofiness of the example aside, the FDA does use the depressors to make a pretty solid point about device regulation, as you can see below.
All in all, the FDA manages to pack enough information into the site to educate and even intimidate curious consumers. In addition to the bit about devices, it has dedicated pages to each of its core regulatory missions, stuff like dietary supplements and cosmetics. It also has announced a series of topic-specific Webinars and given the site a hearty sprinkling of suggestion and question submission boxes, as well as contact information.
To announce the site the FDA hosted a Webinar on Tuesday to teach bloggers about the Basics site; a promised recording of the session has yet to materialize.
